1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for maneuvering a trailer of a motor vehicle, as well as to a device for maneuvering a trailer of a motor vehicle, i.e., a trailer maneuvering assistant.
2. Description of the Background Art
Maneuvering a combination comprising a motor vehicle and a trailer is generally viewed as difficult, the difficulty increasing during reversing, since the trailer tends to swing out. Steering the trailer of a combination is not easily grasped, especially for inexperienced individuals, if the steering angle of the tow vehicle changes during reversing, so that a collision with an adjacent obstacle or a jack-knifing of the combination frequently occurs when parking a combination, due to an unfavorable steering angle selected by the driver.
An electronic maneuvering aid for reversing a truck, which has a steerable trailer, is known from publication DE 198 06 655 A1, the trailer being coupled with the rear trailer coupling of the truck via a tow bar. The position of the trailer and truck are ascertained via sensors at the beginning of the reversing maneuver. A control unit controls the steering of the truck, based on the measured angles combined with the dimensions of the truck and the trailer, so that the truck and the trailer both move along calculated circular paths.
A method for steering a tow vehicle having a trailer during a reversing maneuver is known from publication DE 101 54 612 A1, whereby an electronic control unit predetermines at least the corrections for the steering angle of the steerable wheels of the tow vehicle as a function of angles between the longitudinal axis of the tow vehicle and the longitudinal axis of the trailer, i.e., the position of the tow bar. The angle is ascertained from the signals of at least two distance sensors, which are provided on the tow vehicle or on the trailer, to determine the particular distance between the tow vehicle and the trailer.
A control unit for a trailer to be coupled to a vehicle is known from publication DE 10 2006 048 947 A1, which is incorporated herein by reference, with the aid of which the trailer may be moved from a first position to a second position with respect to the vehicle, whereby, in particular the reverse parking maneuver of a vehicle having a coupled trailer is made easier. The driver of the vehicle may select an angle between the central longitudinal axis of the vehicle and the central longitudinal axis of the trailer, so that, during a reversing maneuver, the control unit moves the trailer from the instantaneous angular position to the selected setpoint angular position. The turn-signal lever, combined with the reverse gear, is used as the control element for selecting the angular position, the selected angle being variable during the reversing maneuver. The instantaneous angle of the trailer is furthermore detected with the aid of a rotation angle sensor mounted in the hitch ball of the tow bar. The disadvantage is that the setpoint angle is set during travel. Furthermore, the detection of the instantaneous tow bar angle requires a separate sensor disposed in the hitch ball of the tow bar, which is associated with additional costs.